Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff profiles Red Wings prospect Malte Setkov this morning. Setkov’s 6’6″ size and arms-and-legs build intrigue, but a bumpy season in the Swedish J20 league has yielded some caution:
“I think it was tough like one year ago,” Setkov admitted. “I didn’t really feel comfortable in my body, actually. But I think I’m learning it more and more now. I think I’m pretty mobile on the ice compared to my size.”
Last season, Setkov cracked the lineup of Malmo in the Swedish Elitserien, but just when he seemed ready to take another step forward, illness put him on the shelf.
“Yeah I was sick for one month just before the world juniors,” Setkov explained. “I got some kind of lung inflammation. It was tough and I lost like 20 pounds, so it was very tough for me. It was tough for me to eat.”
Up until that point, he felt like his development was on a steady upward curve.
“I started off very well actually,” Setkov said. “I got some games on the senior team in Malmo. After the world juniors, I kind of got back to it but it was still tough for me. My shape wasn’t that well. I think I got my old shape back maybe around the playoffs, so it was a pretty tough season, actually.”
